


The March of the Red Queen

by lisa912



Series: Rose Taylor Collection [2]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Band as Family, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Family, Family Issues, Friendship, Girl Roger Taylor, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Rogerina - Freeform, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Strong Female Characters, Strong Language, Tags will be frequently edited, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-07 06:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17361074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisa912/pseuds/lisa912
Summary: It was truly amazing. Not just the energy that her small body was bursting out, but also the musicality in her drums. It was not like she was pouring everything at once just to be loud. She knew when and where to be hard and the right spot to be soft. She was singing through the drums.“Uh, what’s your name?” Brian blurted out. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned halfway to look at the guitarist.“Rose Taylor,” She took a moment before finally giving an answer.(Collection of Girl Roger Taylor - a.k.a. Rose Meddows Taylor - one-shots in serial order. All stories are loosely connected within the same timeline.)(Alternate Version ofThe Queen of Queen: Includes same/similar stories fromThe Queen of Queenas well as the ones that are not included in it)





	1. Brighton Rock

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the summary, this is the alternate version of _[The Queen of Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275736)_ with a different pairing. I was having a hard time deciding the relationship for Rose to be in (between Maylor and Dealor), and decided to write an alternate version so that I can try out both of them. So this is basically the same fic with Rose being in a relationship with John.
> 
> For those of you who have not read _The Queen of Queen_ , this is my take on Rogerina (girl Roger) fiction. Simply put, she is the only girl member of Queen and there is no Roger Taylor but only Rose Taylor in this universe. Most of the events are based on my recreation of both the real events and the film _Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)_ , so they may not be totally accurate. In fact, some of the events will be completely changed so it will be very different from the history of Queen that we know of. 
> 
> As always, I am so sorry for any and all mistakes I make regarding the facts about Queen, the era the story is set in, the social and cultural backgrounds, as well as grammatical and language mistakes. I'll do my best not to make them, but I always end up making them anyway.
> 
> Hope you Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from _Sheer Heart Attack_ (1974)
> 
>  
> 
> “Uh, what’s your name?” Brian blurted out. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned halfway to look at the guitarist.
> 
> “Rose Taylor,” she took a moment before finally giving an answer.
> 
> “Rose,” Brian began. He seemed as if he was hypnotized. “When can you start practicing?”

**1968**

 

 Dentistry was getting boring. Whoever thought it was a good idea to study the field was an absolute nutter. Maybe she should be considering changing her major.

 Then again, it didn’t really matter anyway. Studying dentistry or whatever it might have been was not the reason she was in London in the first place. Getting into college was merely a means. Just an excuse to be present in the city. She was in no way going to pursue the path of a dentist.

 Rose walked down the hall of the building. The assignment she had just gotten from the previous class was going to cost her all night. It was frustrating enough that she hasn't been able to really play drums in a while, and now the stupid coursework was bothering her to no end. And the fact that she was not able to find a decent band to join was not helping at all.

 She had been looking for an opportunity to continue her passion to become a musician ever since she set her foot in the city of London. She did not even spend much time socializing and making friends with people; she did have a few people that she occasionally hung out with, but she felt close enough to none of them. Most of all, they did not seem to understand her strong desire and passion for drumming. It was fair, though, considering that she could not understand their willingness to study about teeth.

 Rose was walking down the stairs when a voice of a stranger flew into her ears.

 “And they seemed to be looking for a drummer.” It was just a random male student talking to other two students that seemed to be his friends. Rose automatically slowed down her pace as her ears concentrated on their conversation.

 “There’re flyers on the bulletin boards somewhere,” the same voice continued.

 “Oh, that must be the band thing that guy talked about,” another one replied. “I heard it from Staffell. He said he was trying to form a band with his mate.”

 Huh. A band.

 Rose made a mental note to herself to look into bulletin boards before she picked up her pace. The nearest one was not so far from her current location.

 “Oh, hey, Rose!”

 Rose looked forward to the direction from which her name was called. It was her roommate Penny.

 “Penny,” Rose greeted her as she stopped in front of her.

 “I was wondering if I could borrow the book you were looking at the other day? The one on anatomy and stuff? I need it for my next project in one of my classes,” Penny said.

 “Sure. It should be on my desk back at the flat,” Rose answered.

 “Thanks!” Penny said with a smile. “I got this very interesting idea using human body structure for my next piece.”

 Rose shrugged in understanding, although she was not sure what her friend was thinking of drawing out of images of human cells and muscles. But then, Penny was the art student, so it wasn’t really her problem to think about.

 “Oh, and I had something to tell you,” Penny said. “I heard from some guys that there were a couple of boys forming a new band. They’re looking for a drummer.”

 Rose wondered if she was the only one that was yet to hear the news.

 “Yeah, I think I heard it. I was on my way to check it out,” Rose said.

 “Oh, okay. I’ll see you later then.”

 Giving her roommate a brief wave of her hand, Rose once again began to head to the bulletin board. It didn’t take her that long to find one.

 Rose scanned through the numerous flyers and notices up there. Some papers on the regulations, class cancellations, auditions and application notices for student clubs, old band recruit notices - which Rose tried out but was kicked out without even a chance to play the instrument just for being a woman - and other bullshits were all piled upon one another, but there was no new band flyer. Frowning, she once again tried scanning from the very top corners. She checked each and every piece of paper there, paying double attention in case she missed anything. When she was halfway through, a voice came from behind her.

 “Um, excuse me.”

 Rose turned around to see a tall skinny boy holding several copies of a flyer. He had a semi-curly hair that covered his whole head, reaching the neckline. He smiled apologetically, indicating to the papers in his hands.

 “Oh, sorry,” she answered, taking a step back.

 The boy stepped forward and pinned a copy on the board before walking away.

 Rose didn’t pay much attention to him as she returned to her search for that band audition notice. And she finally found it the moment she looked at the board once again, for it was now on top of all the other flyers, freshly pinned just seconds before.

 ‘Looking for a drummer. We are looking for a drummer for a newly formed band Smile. We would like to have a Ginger Baker or Mitch Mitchell type of player. For more information, please look for Brian May and Tim Staffell.’

 Rose reflectively turned her gaze toward the direction the boy had just gone off to. He had already disappeared off to somewhere, probably to spread the notice.

 Rose looked at the notice once again, taking in the information for the audition.

 

* * *

 

 The drummer was not bad; in fact, he was good in terms of skills and style. Yet, his drumming was full of ego, not to mention the personality wasn't suitable for the band as a group. Brian glimpsed at Tim to try and see what he was thinking of the applicant. Judging by the unsure and doubtful look on his face, Brian concluded that his bandmate was thinking the same thing as him.

 The drummer looked at Brian with a look that clearly demanded an answer.

 “Well,” Brian began rather heavily, “thank you, uhm… Danny, right?”

 The drummer, Danny, nodded.

 “You're good. You've got a style and skills,” Brian continued in a rather careful tone. “But I don't think you’d fit in with the kind of music we're doing. I'm sorry.”

 Brian was expecting Danny to outright blow up and throw a tantrum and was genuinely surprised when the said man immediately accepted the fact with a casual “okay” and a shrug of his shoulders. There were no other words said between them -- not that there were any that needed saying -- as Danny stood up from his seat at the drum kit and went out the door.

 Brian sighed into both his hands, which covered his face. This was the 7th drummer that they had to let go. How could it be this hard to find one drummer that would go along with them? He kept his head buried in his palms as he heard a sigh from Tim.

 Then there was the sound of knocks. Brian looked up and looked at Tim, who was also looking at him as he said, “Come in!”

 The door creaked open and a girl with a fairly long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail with a red ribbon walked in.

 “Hi,” the girl offered with a smile that looked more like a smirk.

 “Uhm,” Brian said as he and Tim looked at each other in question. “Hello.”

 “Is there anything you need?” Tim asked looking at the girl.

 “Well, I guess,” she answered. “If this is the audition for the drummer for the band Smile.”

 “Yeah,” Brian said slowly, still unsure of what to think of the situation. “That's us.”

 “Okay, then,” the girl said before she walked over to the drum set and picked up the sticks.

 “Uh…” Tim shared a baffled look with Brian.

 “Are you… are you here to audition?” Brian stuttered at the girl.

 The girl looked at the two boys. Her expression clearly looked as if they were asking a stupid question.

 “Obviously.”

 Brian blinked at his mate. The girl looked at the two before she rolled her eyes.

 “What, you said you wanted a drummer. You didn't exactly put up that only boys could apply.”

 That was… true. Brian remembered that he hasn't really mentioned that he wanted a drummer of a certain gender. He honestly thought that he wouldn't need to since he automatically presumed that only boys would be interested in a drummer's position in a band with male members.

 The girl seemed to be growing impatient and irritated at the lack of responses.

 “If you are not interested, then just say it,” she snapped.

 “Well….” Tim looked at Brian with eyes that silently asked: “What should we do?”

 Brian wasn't sure, either. He was not really certain if he wanted a female member in the group. He did not intend to be a total misogynist, but he did have a stereotypical thought that doubted the girl's abilities. She may be able to hit the drums and make beats, sure, but was she capable of creating the energy and presence that they needed?

 Before he could say anything, however, the girl let out an exasperated sigh and sat down. As soon as she did so, she wasted no time hitting on the snares and the cymbals.

 If Brian was outside the room, he would have just naturally assumed it was some muscular metal drummer going crazy on the set. He could have never imagined such power could come out of a girl like her. She was skinny. She was not bony, but she definitely had no fat on her body. It had made her look tiny despite her not-so-small height.

 And now both Brian and Tim were completely tranced by the ferocious drumming. Her arms moved so fast and her head just bopped to the beat, swishing the hair behind it. Brian's mouth slowly fell apart.

 It was truly amazing. Not just the energy that her small body was bursting out, but also the musicality in her drums. It was not like she was pouring everything at once just to be loud. She knew when and where to be hard and the right spot to be soft. She was singing through the drums.

 With the final strike, the girl’s head banged in sync with her arms. Her head tilted downward, she let out a long deep breath before wiping the sweat off her forehead. She looked up to meet two pairs of eyes staring at her. She smirked at the open mouths and wide eyes.

 “That’s very attractive now, isn't it?” She shot sarcastically as she lightly threw the sticks on the drum. She then got up casually. Even then, Brian and Tim were unable to say anything.

 “A second longer, and you would start to drool,” the blond teased. She then turned towards the door, adding in a very cynical voice that she sounded almost like she was snarling. “Anyway, good luck finding your new drummer.”

 “Uh, what’s your name?” Brian blurted out. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned halfway to look at the guitarist.

 “Rose Taylor,” she took a moment before finally giving an answer.

 “Rose,” Brian began. He seemed as if he was hypnotized. “When can you start practicing?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first few chapters will either be exactly the same or very similar to the ones on _The Queen of Queen_. This is just to set this story as a stand-alone. I hope you can bear with me on this.


	2. Now I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from _Sheer Heart Attack_ (1974)
> 
>  
> 
> Freddie’s eyes followed Tim’s words, scanning the stage from the bassist to Brian and Rose Taylor. Brian looked like a quiet and thoughtful one while there was something strong about Taylor. Her face -- not her specific expression but her physical features themselves -- held the fierceness of a rock star. And she definitely looked like a cold cynic with a strong personality.
> 
> Freddie's mouth curled up into a smirk as he took another sip from his glass.
> 
> This was getting better and better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is also taken from _The Queen of Queen_. I considered not putting this in this but thought it was necessary since it is where Freddie is introduced. But from the next one, it will have something different from the previous one!

**1968**

 

 College pub on a Friday night meant mayhem -- no class on the following day, partying all night, and thus reckless drinking. It also meant an opportunity for young student musicians, for it was a chance to try out their songs on a decent number of audience. And apparently, there was a new band in town.

 Outside the entrance, a small board was set up.

 “Playing tonight - 20:00 : Smile”

 Freddie gave a quick look at it as he entered. Smile. So that was what Tim had come up with.  It was an easy name, one that was simple enough to remember. Still, it seemed rather… bland. Freddie wondered why or how someone would think of such name for a band. But then, it was the music that really mattered after all, especially when it came to student bands.

 Freddie had met Tim Staffell at a small party a while before. The two had shared a similar taste for music and a passion for performing their own songs. Being a member of a small himself, Freddie could connect with Tim quite well. He was yet to properly listen to their music at the moment since it had only been very recent that Tim managed to recruit all the necessary members. The last time they talked, Tim had told him that they finally found a decent drummer that he called Taylor.

 Walking down the narrow stairway to the basement, Freddie stepped into the small bar. There were a set of drums and amps with three microphones set up on stage, but without their users. A number of people could see there were already a few people that were feeling the effects of alcohol even before the music.

 Freddie looked down at his watch. 7:58. Not so long to go before the gig started. He walked up to the bar and ordered a pint of cheap lager beer. He did not really have the desire nor the money for anything more there. He took a sip of the freshly served drink before walking over to a corner farthest from the stage. Just as he got settled, leaning in the wall, Freddie spotted the small door by the stage open and Tim coming in.

 The lights dimmed a little as the spotlights focused on the stage. From the left side of it appeared a  young man with a red guitar. Brian, Freddie reminded himself. He had met him once or twice since he was the one that Tim initiated the thought of forming a band with. He was followed by Tim with his bass. And behind him was a blond… girl. A very pretty girl, too. She had wristbands on both her wrists, holding a pair of what can only be drumsticks in one hand. Freddie quirked his eyebrows, eyeing the girl. While the other two members got to their spots -- the guitarist to the far right and the bassist on the left side of the stage -- the girl casually strolled toward the drum kit.

 Taylor was a girl?

 A girl on the drums?

 Other people have noticed it too, for there were murmurs and whispers going around, especially in the back of the crowd where they seemed to think they were far enough not to be heard.

 “Is she the drummer?”

 “Wait, a girl on the drums?”

 “I thought they were a rock band. Is this a joke?”

 But then, every small thing, when collected together, holds power. What were only supposed to be silent talks under breaths gained volumes to fill the whole bar immediately. Now it was not so subtle that the audience were casting doubts and speculations about her, and the band members themselves were certainly aware of it. The two boys were clearly growing uncomfortable. They shared a glimpse at each other before the guitarist gave a short side glance at the girl who was sitting at the drums behind him. Yet, the girl herself seemed very calm and unaffected. There was no mistake that she had picked up the judgemental and disturbing atmosphere of the audience. Still, she was not letting it get to her, or at least not showing it openly.

 So she was confident. And it definitely intrigued Freddie more and more.

 “Uhm,” Tim began, talking into the microphone in front of him. “Evening, ladies and gents. Thank you all for being here tonight. We are Smile.”

 Fortunately, the crowd had the least bit of decency to stop their murmurings when the bassist opened up the introduction. Once he had the people’s attention, he continued.

 “I’m Tim Staffell on the bass and also the vocal,” he said, before stretching one of his arms toward the other members. “Brian May’s our guitarist, and that is Rose Taylor on the drums.”

 Freddie’s eyes followed Tim’s words, scanning the stage from the bassist to Brian and Rose Taylor. Brian looked like a quiet and thoughtful one while there was something strong about Taylor. Her face -- not her specific expression but her physical features themselves -- held the fierceness of a rock star. And she definitely looked like a cold cynic with a strong personality.

 Freddie's mouth curled up into a smirk as he took another sip from his glass.

 This was getting better and better.

 “Does she put a ‘smile’ on your faces at night?” A random man’s voice called out in a highly mocking manner. Some other guys whistled and made patronizing noises. It was most likely that those were that idiot's own company. Freddie shook his head slightly in disgust. Why some people think making rude comments can pass as a joke, he never understood. Those jerks, on the other hand, clearly did since it seemed that the moron got more confidence with his friends’ support.

 “Is that why you have a chic as your fucking drummer?”

 That gained even more laughter from the same group, as well as some new people joining in the insulting sniggers from here and there among the audience. Freddie sighed irritatedly. There are always morons that just could not differentiate stupidity and bravery.

 Tim seemed a bit taken aback and Brian frowned, clearly unimpressed. But it wasn't them that Freddie wanted to react -- he watched the girl that was on the direct receiving end of the mockery. Her face was expressionless, which was exactly the same as when she first walked up on the stage. But her eyes were sharper than any other person's that Freddie had ever seen.

 Taylor looked directly at the man who had made the comment with those eyes. The laughter died a little, probably due to her piercing burning gaze. Then she smiled -- or smirked, to be more accurate -- which highlighted her beauty. She indeed was very pretty. Yet, her eyes were still very sharp. The smile lasted for less than two seconds before the expression instantly transformed into the very opposite one. She then banged on the drums with such might that felt like an explosion. The jerks who were trying to ‘joke’ with the female drummer was shut up instantly.

 An improvised drum solo moment followed. Short but rather flashy one, too. It was very impressive since although she was moving her body a lot to give her energy into it, she made it look so simple and easy at the same time. Freddie was so mesmerized that he did not even realize that he had straightened his posture unconsciously.

 He could see why Tim called her Taylor instead of Rose. There were female drummers, of course -- not that many, but there were. Yet, Taylor’s drumming was not something one would expect from a girl of her size or any typical girl in that matter. She had power and clearly her own color that was also prominently shown through her outward appearance and style -- a very strong temper and mighty confidence of a rocker. Something that one would expect from a guy called ‘Taylor’ than from a girl named ‘Rose’.

 It was funny, however, that Freddie could not find a better name for the drummer. After all, a rose is a flower of beauty but with sharp thorns -- a perfect summary of the girl that was on stage right now.

 When she hit the final strike on the cymbals, there was complete silence. Taylor -- no, Rose -- casually twirled a drumstick as she looked at her bandmates, who also seemed quite surprised.

 “So? You ready?” Rose said as if nothing had happened. Freddie was starting to like the girl more and more.

 Tim raised his eyebrows before turning back to his microphone. Brian smirked a little and shook his head a couple of times as he also turned to face the audience.

 “Uh… right,” Tim said into the microphone. “This is our first song, Step On Me.”

 

* * *

 

 It would be a lie if Freddie were to say that he didn’t enjoy the songs. In truth, he could even say that he had become a fan of the band. Tim had a nice vocal, Rose was a terrific drummer, and Brian had some serious guitar skills. Yet, what really captivated Freddie was their harmonies. Both Brian and Rose provided back vocals and layers of tight harmonies to enrich each song. It was inspiring. And obviously, he wasn’t the only person to have enjoyed the show on that night, for the audience clearly enjoyed themselves with the good music provided to them and there were compliments about the performers going around.

 Freddie made his way through the crowd to the back of the building, where he saw the band leave toward. Stepping outside, he found the three of them sitting around with a bottle of beer in their hands.

 “Freddie!” Tim called out to him, as he was the first to notice him. Brian and Rose both turned their head to look at the said man.

 “Great show,” Freddie offered as he approached them. “Enjoyed the songs. A lot.”

 “Thanks,” Tim answered. He then gestured toward the others. “You know Brian already. And this is Taylor.”

 Brian gave a short wave of his hand in acknowledgment while Rose looked straight at Freddie. Her eyes were fixed on him as she took a drink out of her beer bottle. She then said in a casual tone.

 “Rose Taylor. You can call me Rose, Taylor, whatever you’d like to.”

 “Freddie,” said Freddie in response. “What an impression you made back there, dear.”

 Rose gave a confident smirk. “Did I, now?”

 “Oh, absolutely. With that little surprise in the beginning,” said Freddie. “I loved how you just shot those idiots down.”

 Rose snorted. “Yeah, well, it’s not the first time I’ve met jackasses like them, and that’s the best way to shut them up.”

 “And that’s what she did when we first met her, too,” Brian added. Rose shrugged at him.

 “That’s what happens when you don’t even try to give a girl a chance just because she’s a woman,” she said. “But you two are not part of those jackasses. Not really.”

 “Ooh, so you’re approving us now?” Tim chimed with a dramatic tone.

 “I suppose we should be flattered,” Brian joined in the teasing.

 “Piss off,” Rose responded with a smirk, gaining a chuckle from the boys. She then turned her attention back to Freddie. “And you also seem like a nice guy.”

 “Wow, I am honored,” Freddie answered in an exaggerated manner. “And I am fond of you, too.”

 “Please don’t tell me you’re flirting with me,” Rose said with a snigger in her voice.

 “Oh, I always am,” Freddie said jokingly. “But I meant more of an admiration. Consider me a fan of Smile.”

 “First performance, and we already have a fan,” said Brian, “it’s a good start.”

 “Yeah, well,” Tim said with a laugh. “You are a good singer yourself to be a fan of ours.”

 “You sing?” asked Rose. “Do you perform?”

 Freddie just shrugged. “Well, I am actually in a band.”

From then on, they talked and talked. They talked about many things -- songs, instruments, bands, alcohol, girls, boys... That night, they were nothing more than four college students, sharing their passions for music and dreaming about making their marks in the music industry.

 That night, they did not have any clue about the kind of history they would be making.


	3. Doing Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from _Queen_ (1973)
> 
>  
> 
> That shallowness was what she needed at the moment. An easy relationship that would be able to let her forget about all her other troubles. One that was meaningless and empty enough for her to be able to replace anytime she wanted to. Because that was how messy her life was -- how fucked up she was.
> 
> So she answered, “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a companion piece for _[Liar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275736/chapters/40886909)_ in _The Queen of Queen_. It is definitely not required for you to read it, for it focuses on Rose's relationship with Freddie and Brian than any other thing, but just putting it out there for your information.
> 
> And I'm really sorry for those who are waiting for Deaky's appearance... but this story is all about Rose.
> 
> Still, I hope you enjoy...?

 

**1969**

 

 Rose was doing her homework and was suffering from frustration when she heard the phone ringing outside. It was stopped short as Penny answered it. So she decided to ignore it and return her focus solely on the textbook and the empty notebook paper in front of her. That was until she heard her name being called.

 “Rose!” Penny was shouting. “It’s for you!”

 Rose got up from her seat and went out the door to the messy living room, where her roommate had all her art materials for her painting scattered around. She stepped on the empty spots on the floor avoiding stepping on any brushes or paints toward the telephone. Penny handed the receiver over to her.

 “It’s your dad,” said Penny with a sympathetic look. She looked ready to get out of the scene immediately, since she had been present during several phone calls between Rose and her father and knew very well that many of those -- as well as Rose’s lack of temper control after many of them -- were not so pretty nor peaceful.

 Rose inwardly groaned as she took the receiver and placed it to her ears. As expected, Penny began to collect some of her important items and move them to somewhere out of Rose’s reach.

 “Yes?”

 “Rose,” the usual stern voice said through the speaker.

 “Dad,” she answered, her voice equally sternly stating that she would take her place against him if she has to and that she will not back down so easily.

 There was a moment of silence. Yeah, neither of them were good at this thing, and the last time they talked it was fortunate enough for them not to end their conversation with a shouting match -- although it was very close to reaching it.

 “It's been a while since you last called.” 

 When there was no word coming from her, Michael was the one to break the silence. He never liked being inefficient so much. Rose thought about shooting another cynical remark but just decided against it and kept quiet.

 “How're your studies going?” Her father asked.

 Rose pursed her lips. Her mind flew back to the assignment she had been working on that was left waiting for her in her and Penny's room. She felt the briefly forgotten anger and frustration rise back up. She let out a short sigh before answering.

 “Not so good,” she said, having decided that it was better to come clean about the matter. And it was probably the best timing and means to tell her father that she will not become a dentist. Well, biology was still on the similar ground, so he wouldn't mind (or was it that he wouldn’t ‘care’?) her changing the track of her studies. “About that, I actually have something to say to you.”

 Another moment of silence. It was not really a good sign. Then came a tense “... What is it?”

 “I'm thinking of changing the courses,” Rose answered. “It turned out that dentistry really isn't my thing, so--”

 “Rose,” Michael cut her off immediately. Typical, Rose thought. Just another regular conversation in the Taylor household. So she just did what she always was supposed to do; just “shut up and listen”. “If this is about that band bullshit again-- “

 This time, it was her turn to stop the man mid-sentence.

 “No, Dad,” said Rose, annoyance clearly lacing her tone. “Always, you never listen to what I have to say, do you?”

 There was yet another silence from the other end of the call.

 “Does that mean you have finally come to your senses?” Michael said.

 Senses. As if Rose had none of them to begin with. As if she was completely out of her mind. That was how her father saw her, and Rose was fully aware of it.

 “Yes, I have,” Rose said sternly. And she did not forget to add, “But not in your way.”

 Her father didn’t answer. She could easily imagine the look he would be having on his face, and it would certainly not be the most satisfied expression. But she just used the opportunity to continue her talk.

 “Anyway, I’m not in dentistry anymore. I’m changing to biology,” she stated simply.

 “I don’t care about that,” was her father’s response. “As long as you will be able to get a real and secure job.”

 Rose huffed. Yes, that was exactly what she had thought what her father’s reaction would be.

 “Yeah,” Rose said with her talented sarcasm-filled voice. “In fact, I don’t really care either because I won’t be doing biology after I graduate.”

 “Rose,” Michael said in a low tone. The one that he always used when he tried to scold her and be threatening. “We had a deal. I let you go there, alone, just because you agreed to study and do something worthwhile.”

 “Really?” Rose snorted. “Because from what I remember, it was never a deal, because I did not agree to any of that. I had no fucking choice.”

 “Watch your language,” Michael snarled. But Rose ignored it.

 “And even if it was a fucking ‘deal’ as you always claim, I kept my end because I am studying that damned teeth. So you can’t tell me what to do and what not to.”

 “No, the deal was that you become a decent human being,” said Michael. Rose could hear his anger rising. “Something that you have never been.”

 And that snapped Rose’s already stretched patience in half. 

 “Oh like you have ever been one?” She countered. “Just how long do you think you can control me and my fucking life?”

 “Do you really think I’m doing this for my own good?” It was Michael’s one of the most used lines. The ‘all of this is for you, not me’ bullshit.

 “That’s what you say. Have you ever considered the possibility that you put me into misery ‘for my own good’? Ever thought about that?”

 Rose was panting and there was a pause on the other side as well. She was not sure if her father was surprised or mad at her outburst. Knowing her father’s pattern, however, she could quite easily calculate the reaction from him, which was--

 “You’ll get to thank me later when you don’t have to starve from your stupid childish illusions,” he spat.

 Oh, so predictable. Rose could not help the humorless laugh escape her.

 “Forget that useless fantasy about music and just focus on what you’re supposed to do,” said Michael.

 “Or what?” Rose remarked. “Are you going to come all the way here and destroy everything like you did before?”

 “I might,” her father snarled. “You’d better not have gotten yourself into another fucking band, or you won’t be getting any money from me.”

 Rose laughed out loud. She could not believe that that was the threat her father was making to stop her.

 “You know what?” She began. “If you want to do that, just do what you fucking want to do! I don’t want any money if it means I have to live like a fucking robot in a prison cell!”

 With it, she didn’t even wait for her father’s response before she threw the receiver at the body of the telephone. Her whole body was shaking with fury. She panted loudly as she picked up a cushion and threw it across toward the room. It hit the wall hard with a rather loud ‘poof’ and fell to the floor.

 That wasn’t enough. What she needed the most at the moment was to hit something. Her instinct was screaming to destroy everything that she could see, but her rational mind was managing to barely stop her body from actually doing so.

 So she just stomped out of the living room through the front door, slamming the door shut behind her.

 

* * *

 

 Another successful gig with the satisfied audience. Nothing felt greater than the exhaustion from a good amount of drumming. That, along with the heat and energy emanating from the crowd, gave Rose the best feeling she could ever experience. When she was drumming, only thinking about the beat, the rhythm, and the music, she could forget about anything and everything. 

 Then there was the afterparty. Most of the times, it is just the three of the members of Smile getting a drink and celebrating themselves. Yet, from time to time, whenever they have done a successful show of quite a scale, they tended to blend in with the crowd themselves and enjoy themselves a bit.

 Thus, that was what Rose was doing: with a drink in her hand, she was blended with the people, dancing around and having fun with people. Tim and Brian were close by, being swarmed by a group of girls. The boys’ popularity grew as they managed to gain fans from series of well-received performances. Of course, Rose wasn’t an exception. Being the only girl member and a drummer of the band, Rose also attracted quite a number of followers. Her beauty naturally called for men’s attention, as well as many girls that loved her charisma on stage and her power. 

 Thus, it was usually quite difficult to get through all the people crowding her at an afterparty that Rose got annoyed by them sometimes -- not much but she did indeed. Yet, on that particular day, even that was enjoyable for her. It felt like a drug that she never consumed. She just let her body feel the music and the crowd.

 Rose wasn’t really watching what she was doing or where she was going. She thought she was trying to get back to her bandmates, but even she wasn’t that sure about it. Maybe she was on her way to get some more alcohol. Or maybe--

She took a step backward and bumped into someone, spilling a little portion of what was left in her glass. A couple of people around her turned to her when they felt the cold liquid wetting their clothes.

 “Shit sorry,” Rose muttered. But she knew that they didn’t really care that much.

 “Hey, careful,” someone said from behind her. Rose thought it was most likely the person she had just bumped into. She turned around to look at a man with a smug smile on his face.

 He was a fairly good looking guy that one would easily find in a pub every other night, most likely end up with different girls every other night. He had the experience of numerous nights with a sense of feigned innocence written on his cute baby face.

 Geez, girls would fall head over heels for this guy. To Rose, however, it didn’t really mean anything, of course.

 “Well, sorry,” Rose answered. She then turned around to continue whatever she was doing. But the guy snatched her wrist. 

 “Wait,” he said. “I’ve wanted to talk to you.”

 So he was putting up the naive persona. Rose rolled her eyes before turning back toward him. The guy smiled nervously at her. Or more accurately, it was what was supposed to be seen as a nervous smile. Rose smirked inwardly as she let the man continue.

 “I’m Josh. Josh Rickson,” he said. “You’re… Rose Taylor, right? The drummer?”

 “Is that supposed to be a trick question?” Rose asked with raised eyebrows.

 “No, I just…” Josh responded. “I have been to your shows a couple of times. And I kinda find you… you know, attractive.”

 “A lot of people do,” said Rose. Josh seemed to have picked up Rose’s awareness of his pretended personality, for there was a smirk forming on his face.

 “I bet they do,” Josh answered in a more smug tone. “So, I was wondering…”

 “A fun time tonight?” Rose finished his sentences. Really, it wasn’t her first night out, after all.

 “Well, we can definitely start with that,” answered Josh as he took a step closer. Rose just watched him make his move. Even at her not-so-impressed look, Josh didn’t seem to be intimidated, which was another sign that it was definitely not his first night either.

 “But I was actually looking for a more… long-term thing,” he said.

 Rose looked at him quietly for a moment. He was cute, indeed. But he was not that attractive -- at least, not to her. And frankly, he also didn’t seem that interested in her for herself but was only after her status as a growing musician. 

 That shallowness was what she needed at the moment. An easy relationship that would be able to let her forget about all her other troubles. One that was meaningless and empty enough for her to be able to replace anytime she wanted to. Because that was how messy her life was -- how fucked up she was.

 So she answered, “Okay.”

Because that little make-believe was the only thing she could hold onto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm so sorry for taking some time before John's first appearance. I wanted to set up the background for Rose to delve into her character and personality.
> 
> And I'm also sorry for the quality of this. I wrote this in a rush so I'm really not so happy with how it turned out. I might edit/rewrite this part later. 
> 
> But, the good news is, Deaky will finally be introduced in the next chapter!
> 
> Always, thank you for reading, kudos, comments, subscription, etc. All of them are very much appreciated and really motivate me to keep going!
> 
> Have a good day to you all and don't forget that we are the champions of the world!
> 
> Lisa :)


	4. Keep Yourself Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from _Queen_ (1973)
> 
>  
> 
> Yet, as much as everything has its perks, there were also problems he had to face. All the drama among the members, people joining and quitting for different issues, constant regrouping and reforming. There were so many things that got in the way for just one performance. That, along with his new interest in tinkering with electronics made him think that maybe it was time for him to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally, it's time for some Deaky! Btw, I'm still not sure if I should spell it 'Deacy' or 'Deaky'. Then again, I heard that nobody really does, so... whatever, I guess? lol
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :)

 

**1970**

 

 When John left his hometown for college, his mind was solely on studying electronics. Playing his guitar and forming a band with his mates were all good time’s fun, of course. He loved music. He had loved it ever since he first got his first guitar at age 7. Such fun was to create sound and tunes with his own fingers. Buying and listening to the records of his favorite artists and recreating -- sometimes even adding a few new things of his own -- were all great. He shared his talent and interest with some of his friends, forming a band of their own. All of the processes were a nice experience to have.

 Yet, as much as everything has its perks, there were also problems he had to face. All the drama among the members, people joining and quitting for different issues, constant regrouping and reforming. There were so many things that got in the way for just one performance. That, along with his new interest in tinkering with electronics made him think that maybe it was time for him to move on.

 That, of course, did not mean that he wanted to quit music completely. No, it was still an important part of his life. Also, he could use a hobby, something to distract himself in times of trouble. So he did bring his old guitar with him. There could be an opportunity or a cause that would return him to music. Who knew?

 It was a Thursday afternoon and John was done with all the courses for the day. His watch read 3:48 when he got back to his empty dorm room. So he still had some time before dinner. He put down his book bag on the floor next to his desk. He then crouched down in front of his bed and pulled out the plastic case from underneath it.

 The past month had been a hell of a mess -- new city, new environment, new school, and new people. There were so many changes to be made and so many things to adjust to, which means that he was both intentionally and unintentionally had been distant from his instrument. Over the nearly four weeks’ time, it was less than three times he got to feel the strings against his fingers.

 Opening the case, John took in the sight of his guitar. He took it out and sat on his bed, settling the instrument and his posture into a comfortable position.  His roommate Chris wasn’t coming back until later that evening, so he could play it a bit without having to interrupt the other occupant of the room. He tried a few strokes on the strings with his fingers, feeling the metal brush against his skin.

 Some tunes were a bit off, due to the lack of playing. John corrected them easily and proficiently. It was somewhat relaxing to even merely touch the thing. All the strains and stress in his tense muscles seemed to be transferred to the musical sound and out of his system. He closed his eyes for a short moment, breathing in deeply as if to take in the sound through all of his senses. 

 Then, without any second thought, he just started playing. There was no specific song he had in mind. He just let his fingers move on their own. Some parts of the melody were original and some were from the songs he often enjoyed listening to. Fingers on both hands moved busily. He was so immersed in his playing that he literally jumped when the door of the room burst open.

 Chris was walking inside but stopped as he spotted John. John also looked at him with wide eyes, startled by the sudden appearance of his roommate.

 “Whoa,” said Chris. “Nice playing, mate.”

 “Uhm,” stuttered John. “Thanks.”

 Chris walked in and headed to his desk to put down his bag on it. John just sat there with his guitar in his hands, which were now just silently hovering over and pressing th chords but making no sound.

 “Come to think of it, I think I never really heard you play it,” said Chris with his back turned toward John as he sorted his things out on the desk. “I saw you bringing that thing when you first moved in, but then you never played.”

 John shrugged even though he knew well that his friend could not see him.

 “Yeah, well,” he said, “It’s the start of the term, so I didn’t really have time to practice. And I only played when you were out.”

 John heard Chris laugh softly.

 “If annoying me was the reason, then you don’t need to worry about that,” said Chris. “There’s no way that that can be a noise.”

 John didn’t know exactly how he should react to the compliment. So he just scratched his head with a small laugh. There was a bit of silence between the two as Chris pulled out his textbooks from his bag and put them on the small bookshelf on the corner of his desk.

 “So you’re one of those guys, then?” He asked without turning his head at John again.

 John, on the other hand, looked at the backside of Chris in a slight confusion.

 “I’m sorry?” He said.

 “You know,” answered Chris. “Those guys forming bands, doing gigs, dreaming of becoming rock stars or something.”

 “Oh,” was John’s response. He had been in bands before, but he wasn’t sure if he could say that he ever truly dreamt of becoming a professional musician. “Uhm, no… I suppose... ?”

 “Really?” That was when Chris finally turned around, surprise in his voice. “Huh. With skills like that, I thought for sure you were considering a career in that direction.”

 He then shrugged and returned to his task. 

 “So are you not going to do anything with it?” Asked Chris. 

 “Well, haven’t really thought about it,” answered John, picking on the strings on his guitar. He had indeed been in bands before, but he was here for the university, not for music. And it was already busy enough for him to just follow all the workload that there was no time or reason for him to think about other matters, especially about music.

 “Just a hobby then?” Chris said.

 Was it, though? John wasn’t sure. Was John satisfied with his playing just remaining on the level of simple pleasure? 

 “I suppose, yeah,” he said. There was a pause before he added, “At least for now.”

 Chris hummed in response. Then he suddenly straightened his back and turned around to look at John.

 “Since you seem to like music and all, do you want to see a show?” He asked.

 John raised his eyebrows in question.

 “Yeah. Me and some of my friends are going to a band gig tomorrow. You can join us if you like.”

 A band gig?

 “A band?” John asked.

 “I heard that they’re quite big around here. They’re called Queen.”

 John couldn’t help but frown a little.

 “Queen?” He questioned. “Are they female band?”

 Chris laughed at John’s response. “No, I heard that they’re guys. Wait, is one of them a girl? I don’t remember. Actually, from what I heard, they used to be a part of a different band. That band was quite popular around here, but then their lead singer quit or something, so they found a new one and changed their name to that recently.”

 Huh. John thought.

 “I guess the new singer must be a girl since they named themselves Queen,” Chris continued. “Anyways, we were thinking of checking them out. Do you want to come?”

 A band in London. That might be interesting.

 John shrugged his shoulders.

 “I suppose why not?”

 

* * *

 

 The band must have been quite popular indeed, for the venue was crowded. It was very difficult not to lose one’s company and John had to put a lot of effort into following Chris and his friends around. He squeezed through excited people to where Chris’s friends thought was a good spot. It was about 5 minutes before the performance was to begin.

 On the board just outside the place had said, “Queen, formerly known as Smile, introduces a new frontman, new style, and new music!” So the former foundation for Queen was a band called Smile. John had to admit, that even though ‘Queen’ was rather odd for a male band dominant band -- of course, it wouldn’t be that weird if the lead singer was indeed a woman -- it seemed better than ‘Smile’. Quite a simple word but catchy and most of all memorable for a number of reasons.

 John couldn’t help a bit of curiosity and expectation forming in his heart.

 The time finally came for the band to come up. Just before the actual members came up, the light above the audience turned off. The only lights were those of the stages which were also quite dim. The excited talking among the crowd died down.

 John focused his eyes on the stage. From the side of the stage came up four figures. Under the dim lights, all he could see were just silhouettes of four men with fairly long hair. It was so dim that John couldn't see their faces properly. Their seemingly dark clothes weren't much of a help, either. All he could see were outlines of the instruments and masses of dark color with some spots of skin.

 John’s impression on the band? It was not that positive, to be honest. He wondered if the light settings and the clothing choices were intended or not. Their outfits would have definitely been a choice of their own, of course. But if the lighting was as well, he just couldn't understand why. 

 It was then he spotted it. One of the figures did seem to belong to a woman, but she didn't stop at the main microphone stand on the center stage. She just strolled past it and sat at the drums instead. A female drummer in a male dominant band. Now that was not something one saw everyday. 

 “Evening, everyone,” A male voice said into the microphone with a tone of caution. But John could only know that because of the electronically amplified sound and not by the sight. All he could see was a tall man with a guitar. The same voice continued. “Brian May here, in case you're new or have forgotten.”

 He paused for a moment before he went on.

 “So we're Smile, or we used to be. Unfortunately, our lead singer is no longer with us. So we have some new faces joining us, Mike Grose playing the bass, and Freddie Bulsara as our vocal. And of course, Rose Taylor is our drummer.”

 There came a short drumroll with clang on a cymbal at the end as if to emphasize her presence. It earned slight cheers from the audience. 

 Brian May paused until the audience quieted down once again.

 “And… I think a lot of you have already seen from the sign outside that we got ourselves a new name.” Another pause. It felt like a bit of hesitation as if the guitarist was not quite sure about their new name. “From today, we are… Queen.” 

 The response was a mixture. Some people cheered and some others sniggered. Some mumbled to one another. Even a couple of Chris’s friends were among the laughing ones.

 “Okay, so let's get on with it!” As if to shut them up, a new voice shouted. One that was quite powerful. 

 A beat later, the song opened up with a fast-paced guitar riff. Rather nice, too. John had to admit. The upbeat rhythm was easily able to lift the mood. Then drum beats joined, followed by bass lines.

 Then the singer began to rant.

 

_ I was told a million times of all the troubles in my way _

_  Mind he grow a little wiser, little better everyday _

_  But if I crossed a million rivers and I rode a million miles _

_  Then I'll still be where I started, bread and butter for a smile _

 

_  Keep yourself alive, keep yourself alive _

_  Take you all your time and a money, honey you'll survive _

 

 The song was quite fast, but the lyrics were mostly recognizable. It was not a sappy song about a breakup or a crazy song about how sexy and beautiful a girl is. That was a nice change for a student band.

 It was refreshing to see a band gig. John’s mind drifted back to his past days when it was him that was on the stage. The sound of the music triggered him as it entered his bodies and traveled through all parts of his body. He felt the sudden urge to play his guitar -- to move his fingers and strike a chord. His heart started to beat with the drum rhythms, thinking of his time he spent with his mates. 

 The overall show was okay. It wasn't ‘mind-blowing’ good, but they were not bad at all. In fact, John didn't really remember what it was exactly like. All he really felt was the desire to play some tunes himself. The desire to be up on the stage, among fellow musicians and make harmonies, to try out different things he could do with his instrument.

 Maybe joining a band himself wouldn't be a bad idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankly, I had some trouble characterizing John. So if he seems out of character, then I'm really sorry.  
> Also, I just had him living in the dorm for a change. I couldn't really find out where he lived during college or if the uni even had a dorm in the first place. Please just think of it as a fictional element for the sake of the story.
> 
> I always find it so funny and ironic that John actually wasn't that impressed by Queen when he first saw their show and wanted to include it in this. Not sure if I did it right, though (lol)
> 
> Always, thank you so very much for reading, leaving comments, pressing that little kudos button, subscribing, etc.
> 
> Hope you have a wonderful day, wherever you are!
> 
> Lisa :)


	5. God Save the Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from _A Night at the Opera_ (1975)
> 
> “So how many does that make, five?” Asked Danny.  
> “He was the seventh,” Rose said bitterly.  
> “Well,” Danny said, looking behind himself. “I may have brought the eighth one.”  
> Rose turned to look at him. Did he mean--?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so soooo sorry for the delay. The past few weeks were just a total mess. I was on a trip with my friends for a few days last week and had to take care of all the necessary business on the week before that. I'm back to my normal routine now, so I'll be writing as much as I can and catch up with the story quickly.
> 
> This is the historical moment...! We now complete our precious band at last!

 

**1971**

 

 “Shit!” Said Rose, banging loudly on the cymbals. Her drumsticks snapped in halves.

 The song stopped abruptly as Brian halted his finger movements. Freddie also stopped singing with an annoyed face. 

 Bill was the last one to stop, looking at the others with irritation written all over his face. Brian sighed. He seemed to be in his best effort to suppress his emotions and find some humane way to address the issue while Freddie rubbed his forehead with his hand. So Rose took the responsibility to shout her anger out.

 "What the fuck are you doing?" She yelled at the bassist.

 "What now?" Bill asked, not even trying to hide his annoyance.

 "That wasn't what you're supposed to be playing!" said Rose.

 "Yeah, because that was much better," said Bill.

 "Better?" Rose snapped. "BETTER? THAT RUINED THE ENTIRE THING!"

 Bill threw his arms in exasperation.

 "What, are you seriously expecting me to play that dumb thing over and over?" He said. "That's fucking stupid. I can do so much than that boring thing."

 "Yes, but it ruined the balance." It was Brian that decided to answer. His tone was very calm in comparison to Rose's shouts that it made him seem like a normal person talking in any normal situation. But Rose and Freddie could very well tell that he was pissed off to the very end of his gauge just by listening that one line.

 "That tune was not working with us, and this is not a song that bass should stand out so much," said Brian.

 "And what, you just want me to stay back like I'm not even in this stupid band?" Bill said. "Is that it? Then why do you have a fucking bass in the first place?"

 Brian turned his eyes from him and let out a long sigh. He then looked at Bill once again.

 "What's your problem?" He asked. "Really. You've been so snappy and uncooperative for days. What is bothering you?"

 Bill shook his head. "What's my problem? Well, I don't know, that you want me to play this stupid bland riff over and over again, you shoot down any ideas I have, and your music sucks that you can't even afford a decent bassline. That's my problem!"

 "If your fucking 'ideas' were as good and productive as you claim to be, then there is no reason for us not to take it," said Rose. "But guess what? They suck! All you're trying to do is show yourself off and just be loud so that everybody notices you! Well, guess what? That's not how it fucking works!"

 "You shut up!" Bill shouted at her. " You don't get to say that I'm being loud, you attention-seeking bitch!"

 Rose's glance sharpened.

 "What the fuck did you just say?" She snarled.

 "Your drumming is what sucks," said Bill. "You think you're so good with that mediocre skills you got. You think you're so over the top. Well? See the truth. You're just trying to stand out, that's all!"

 Brian scowled.

 "You don't get to say anything about standing out, Burgess," he said. "She has never failed to keep her line and balance her sound. You-- you're the one that's messing up the whole song just to stand out yourself."

 "Not to mention having a very horrible sense of 'riffs'," Freddie added from the sideline.

 Bill looked from Brian to Freddie with a suspicious look on his face. His expression changed as if he was connecting the dots and coming to a certain conclusion. He then let out a loud snort.

 "So that's how it is?" He said. "That bitch has you in her hands, doesn't she? What are you, her little slaves?"

 Freddie's face slowly distorted into a disgusted frown. Brian stiffened. Rose, who had been picking up the pieces of her former drumsticks, stopped moving and glared at the bassist.

 "I should have known," Bill continued, taking his bass off of his shoulder. "'Queen'. More like 'Queen bee and her fucking morons'. What, is that shag really that much of a fuck? I can never imagine her giving anything satisfying."

 Bill's eyes scanned Rose from her head to her feet, as if to evaluate her. That was the moment when Rose's last line of patience shattered into million pieces. Rose's grip around the pieces tightened, turning her knuckles white. She slowly walked up to him and looked into his eyes.

 "So that's what this is about, is it?" She said -- or more accurately, growled. "That's why you're being so bitchy, huh?"

 Bill equally met her gaze but said nothing. Rose stood there and glared at him for a good minute. Then she gave a cold, piercing smile -- the kind of smile that let Bill know that nothing good would be coming out of it.

 And nothing good did, for sure. Rose moved so fast that Brian and Freddie only knew what happened through the yelp that erupted from Bill. He immediately crouched down, covering his most valuable part, groaning in pain. Brian winced instinctively while Freddie couldn't help frowning sympathetically as his fisted hand covered his mouth.

 "Fucking wanker," said Rose, her voice falling on the man now at her feet. She then turned around and stormed out of the room.

 There was a silence between the three men as Brian and Freddie just watched her walk out. Bill, on the other hand, was still dealing with the pain in his groin area. Brian and Freddie looked at each other before turning their attention back to the other guy. He was without a doubt a jackass and moron, but they couldn't help feeling a bit sympathetic at his pain.

 "Okay," Freddie said finally, after letting Bill have a moment to recover at least a little. "I think it is time for you to get the fuck out and get lost. And don't come back, of course."

 Bill slowly got up and packed his things. The pain was seemingly still present and he kept muttering curses. He hastily gathered his belongings before hurriedly limping toward the door through which Rose had passed. Just before opening it, he looked back at the other two.

 "Good luck finding a moron that will bear playing with you," he said. Then without waiting for any response, he was out the door.

 Both Freddie and Brian looked at the closed door.

 "Well," said Freddie. "That went well."

 Brian just snorted. He took off his guitar and placed it its case with great care as usual.

 "I suppose we're taking five, then?" Freddie said, watching him.

 Brian sighed. "I'll go find her."

 He walked out of the room, leaving Freddie to sit on a nearby chair.

 

* * *

 

 John offered a word of appreciation to his professor before quietly walking out of the office. He took a deep breath as he closed the door behind him, smiling to himself. He already thought he had quite a good idea for his next assignment, but getting it confirmed didn’t make it any less pleasing. And the professor mentioned something along the line of ‘first class honours degree’. Apparently, he was doing quite well with his studies.

 Now all he needed was a band that would take him in. He had been paying attention for any signs or news about auditions or recruitments, but there just weren’t any -- at least, none for a guitarist. Then again, maybe it was due to the fact that he wasn’t all that desperate about it. After all, joining a band was not to come before his schoolwork. And he knew that he had to be cautious about it if he wanted to avoid unnecessary drama. He had learned it the hard way through his old bands when he had to be stuck in the middle of childish conflicts and fallouts.

 Yet, on that day, his mind was not on the matter, for he was about to attend a party with Chris. He didn’t often join his wild roommate in getting all drunk and mingling with different people. As much as John himself could enjoy alcohol, music, and dancing, he needed his personal space, which was hardly guaranteed in social events that Chris often went to. Then again, it was almost the end of the term and John could use some party.

 “Who knows?” Chris had said. “Maybe you could find a good company.”

 So about an hour later, he stepped into the pub with Chris.

 “Danny is probably here already,” said Chris.

 The two passed through the thick crowd, looking around for their friends. Danny, one of their gang of friends, recognized the two first and called out to them. Chris and John caught sight of him and walked over to where about five boys were sitting around a small table.

 “Hey!” He said. “You made it.”

 

* * *

 

 The rest of the practice session was simply a disaster. Everything was just an absolute mess. Missing a bass sound was a problem in itself, of course, but it wasn’t as bad as to make the session impossible. What really affected the atmosphere was the mood. Rose was definitely not in a good state to be continuing, which was very clear in her reluctant and irregular beats. Brian couldn’t help the constant irritated sighs, either.

 “You know what,” Freddie said, stopping the other two. “I think we should stop here. We can pick it up later.”

 There were no verbal responses from the other two, but they were clearly in agreement. Brian packed his guitar in its case while Rose also stood up from her seat behind the drums and packed her bag.

 “I need a drink,” she said. She looked at the others. “You coming?”

 “Nope. Mary’s waiting for me,” said Freddie. He picked up his jacket that had been placed on a chair to put it on.

 “I can use some beer,” Brian said as he closed the case and gathered all the pieces of his notes into its pocket.

 “Nice. I was trying to think of a way to kick you out while we hang around at our flat,” said Freddie in an attempt to brighten the mood a little.

 “You do know I was living there first, don’t you?” Brian said dryly. He picked up his instrument and walked over to Rose and Freddie who were already by the door and waiting for him. 

 The three of them headed back to the boys’ flat for Brian to take his precious guitar back. Once he had taken his best care in placing it safely in his room, he and Rose said their goodbyes to Freddie and left the place.

 Rose kept complaining about Bill throughout their walk to the pub and even until they were inside. Although Brian understood and could also feel the same anger at their former bassist, he had to admit that it was quite tiresome to be listening to her furious ravings. She did not stop even as the two walked up to the bar to get some alcohol. 

 “I mean, this is the seventh time!” She continued her rant after a short pause to order her drink. “Really, is it that hard to find a decent bassist that is not a complete jackass?”

 “Apparently, it is,” said Brian.

 Rose scoffed as she received her order. She had just picked it up and turned from the bar when she was approached by her friend Penny. Brian took the chance to take his leave to find his mates.

 “Hey, Rose,” said Penny. “How was the practice?”

 Rose sighed.

 “Terrible,” she said. “Fucking terrible. That bastard Burgess quit.”

 Rose took a sip of her drink while Penny was about to say something in response. She was, however, interrupted by a person that suddenly walked up to them.

 “Hey, Taylor!” It was Danny. Danny was one of the guys Rose and Brian got acquainted with through parties and pub gigs. He was an easygoing kind of person and a drummer himself, so Rose got along quite well with him even though they weren’t too close. Funnily enough, he had also auditioned for Smile. He didn’t hold any grudge against not getting in, which earned him some points from Brian.

 He came in with his typical ‘charming guy smile’, to which Rose just shrugged. He surveyed her expression with a smug smirk. “Someone’s pissed.”

 “Yeah well,” Rose said, looking at John with her eyes shining with interest. “It happens when you’re having a bad day.”

 “Whoa, what happened?” He asked.

 “Well, long story short, our bassist just quit. Again,” said Rose. “No, wait. I should say we kicked him out.”

 “Why? I thought Burgess’s got the skills.” 

 “Yeah, well he’s a fucking twit.”

 “Hmm,” said Danny. “I thought he was quite into you.”

 “Whatever,” Rose snapped. “He’s out of the picture now. And thanks to him, I have a crappy day and we have to find a new bassist now.”

 Danny seemed like he was about to say something when he abruptly stopped himself.

 “Wait,” he said. “Bass. Those that play guitar, they can play bass, too, right?”

 Rose frowned a little in confusion.

 “Not always, but often yes, I suppose,” she said. “I mean, normal guitar and bass, they’re pretty much the same in terms of how to play it.”

 Danny nodded.

 “Wait here,” he said before vanishing through the crowd.

 Rose didn’t think much of it, so she casually turned to Penny. 

 It took no more than a few minutes for Danny to return. Rose was talking to Penny and some of her friends that joined their conversation when he did.

 “That fucking wanker!” Rose fumed. “He’s just crossed I didn’t get into his bed!” 

 “Ooh,” Danny’s voice suddenly butted in from behind her. “Which one are we talking about now? There have been far too many that wanted to get into your pants.”

 “Bill fucking Burgess!” Rose said.

 “Ouch,” Danny said smugly. “That must have hurt him bad. He's been telling people that you're all so into him.”

 She snorted before taking a sip out of her glass of beer. “Fucking idiot. He was so disgustingly full of himself.”

 “So how many does that make, five?” Asked Danny.

 “He was the seventh,” Rose said bitterly.

 “Well,” Danny said, looking behind himself.  “I may have brought the eighth one.”

 Rose turned to look at him. Did he mean--?

 Danny then pulled a bloke from behind him and to right in front of Rose. The new person and Rose looked at each other for a short moment. And the first thing that came to Rose’s mind that moment was that he looked quite cute. He had a look of a shy innocent boy with a sense of dorkiness. 

 “This is John Deacon. He’s in Chelsea College. I heard he is quite skilled at guitar and is looking for a band,” said Danny, lightly patting John’s shoulder. He then turned to John. “This is Rose Taylor, the drummer of the band Queen.”

 “Guitar player, huh?” Rose said, taking a look at John with intrigued eyes. “Do you play bass, too?”

 John shrugged his shoulders.

 “Not much experience with it, but I can play it, I suppose,” he said.

 Rose hummed. “How long have you played guitar?”

 “Uhm, from about age seven?”

 Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She nodded her head slowly.

 “Okay,” she said. “Hold on a moment.” 

 Rose turned her head and looked around. Her eyes searched through the people to find her bandmate. It wasn’t that hard, considering Brian was taller than most people and had a very recognizable hair. She soon found him standing a couple of meters away talking to a guy.

 “Bri!” She called out toward him. “BRI! BRIAN!”

 Brian looked at her in question. Rose frantically waved her hand for him to come closer. Brian said a few words to the person he was talking to before walking through the people and toward her and John.

 Rose looked at John.

 “John, this is Brian,” she said. Then she looked at Brian. “Brian, John.”

 Brian gave a brief smile and a nod toward John, which John returned with a polite smile of his own. 

 “Danny introduced him to me. He’s looking for a band” Rose said. “Apparently, he’s good with guitars. And he says he can play the bass, too.”

 “Really?” Brian looked at John with eager eyes.

 “I mostly played guitar, but I’ve handled bass before,” said John.

 Brian nodded.

 “Okay,” he said more to Rose than to John. “Maybe we can have him come over to our practice.”

 “Yeah,” said Rose.

 Brian looked back at John. “We had to let our bassist go recently. Would you… be interested in taking that position?”

 John blinked a few times, seemingly contemplating a bit.

 “Well, I could try.”

 Brian smiled.

 “Great,” he said. “We’re practicing next Tuesday at seven in an auditorium in Polytechnic. Can you come down there?”

 

* * *

 

 The door of the auditorium creaked open slowly that it almost seemed to be hesitating itself. A moment later, it opened more to reveal a lean figure carrying what seemed to be a guitar case and an amplifier in each hand. He walked passed the aisle of seats and toward the stage, on which the three members of Queen were standing and looking at the new person eagerly.

 John walked up to the stage. 

 “You’re very punctual,” said Rose as she watched him walk up to a corner and put his things down.

 John didn’t really know what to respond, so he just shrugged his shoulders and looked at the band.

 “So, John Deacon, right?” Said Brian.

 “Yeah,” said John.

 “Uhm, this is Freddie. Freddie, John,” Brian said, looking from John to Freddie.

 “Freddie Bulsara,” said Freddie with a smile. “So are you to be our next bassist?”

 “Um,” said John, massaging the back of his neck with one hand. “I don’t know. Am I?”

 Freddie shrugged. “We’ll see.”

 Brian pulled out a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to John.

 “These are the chords for the songs we’re going to practice today,” he said.

 “Okay,” John answered as he took it and looked at it. 

 “I know you probably never heard the song before, so don’t worry too much about being perfect. Just join in where you can.” Brian said.

 “Okay,” said John.

 “We’re starting in five,” Rose said from behind the drum kit on one side of the stage. Both Brian and John went to get their instruments ready.

 John opened the case and pulled out the bass guitar he had borrowed through one of his friends. He brought it along with his amplifier to the center part of the stage and placed himself in the back next to the drums. After plugging in the guitar, he tested the tunes. When he was done, he settled into the most comfortable position and scanned the note once again.

 “Okay, we’re doing ‘Son and Daughter’ first,” Brian said. “Everyone ready?”

 John nodded as his eyes looked through the page and found the title. Brian shared a glance with Rose. Freddie also looked at both of them. When the three of them were done with reading one another’s signals, the song began.

 A synchronized guitar stroke with a bang on the cymbals opened the song. Then an explosive vocal harmony from the three followed. The two alternated a couple of times before the instrumental opening part began. John read the chords on the paper as he focused his ears on the song. His fingers moved mid-air as he simulated the sound of the bassline with what was being played. The basic tune was repetitive, which made it easier for him to grasp the pattern.

 So he decided to slowly join in by the end of the first verse. There were a few notes he missed, but he quickly stabilized his playing as he gradually added more notes. He let the beat and tunes flow through his body and felt the song, calculating which notes should come next. It didn’t need an effort from him, considering that he had his experience with his bands before. He wasn’t the bass player then, but it didn’t matter; no matter what instrument one played, the most crucial point was to make everything balance out to come together as one song. 

 When the song finished, John looked up to find the others looking at him. He looked back at them, baffled.

 “That was… impressive,” Brian said, a look of satisfaction on his face. 

 John raised his eyebrows. He did follow the song quite well, but it was far from any word such as ‘impressive’ since he didn’t really use any real techniques or creative tunes. Were the other bassists they had before that terrible? 

 “I don’t know if I could call that ‘impressive’,” he said.

 “Dear, you managed to do exactly what you’re supposed to do,” said Freddie. “Quietly, I might add.”

 “Well, yeah,” said John. “The guitar and drums are already strong, there’s no need for stronger bass.”

 “So you mean, keeping the balance?” Brian said.

 John looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Freddie, Brian, and Rose all looked at one another. They did not say a word, but there were excitement and joy in their eyes.

 “You wouldn’t know how much I just want to hug you right now,” Rose said. John frowned at her in confusion.

 “Finally!” Freddie exclaimed, quite dramatically, John might add. “Finally someone who knows!”

 John looked around from one member to another.

 “Okay, so am I in or what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!!!!! Deaky has joined the band!!!!  
> Now that Rose and John finally met each other, the plot will thicken and their relationship will deepen. Really, I can't wait to write the fluffy parts already (which will only follow after some angsty stuff, of course -- I'm just that sadistic when it comes to my lovies (...) )
> 
> Always, thank you so much for all the kudos, comments, subscriptions, bookmarks, and your love. They all mean so much and really give me energy! I can never get enough of them X)
> 
> Hope you have a great day, wherever you are!
> 
> Lisa :)

**Author's Note:**

> You can always find me through Tumblr ([lisasinarae.tumblr.com](https://lisasinarae.tumblr.com)) or Twitter ([@sinarae_eng](https://www.twitter.com/sinarae_eng))
> 
> If you want to talk to me about Queen, or just reach out to me, you're always welcome! I also might take prompts regarding Rose fictions, so if you have any, you can talk to me about that, too.
> 
> Keep yourselves alive, people, and hope you have a great day, wherever you are!
> 
> Lisa :)


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